Fall is a time for slowing down and taking stock before we head into another winter. If you’re looking for books to help you on that journey, I have some ideas.
First on the roster is a lesser-known therapy memoir from last year, Good Morning, Monster by Catherine Gildiner. If you liked Lori Gottlieb’s book Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, or if you wanted more from it, you should look into this. Dr. Gildiner recounts, in five sections, the stories of five of her patients whose stories have stuck with her throughout the years. Each of them endured horrific traumas in their pasts and made tremendous breakthroughs in the time she was working with them. The narratives of these patients’ recoveries are engaging and encouraging, and may have some insight to offer the rest of us. Be warned: this is a serious book and contains descriptions of sexual abuse, racism, and transphobia that may be difficult to read. If you’re looking to wrestle with some difficult concepts, though, Dr. Gildiner can help you as she does her patients. She explains therapeutic techniques with skill that makes the content approachable, moving, even funny at times.
Next up is Broad City co-creator and star Abbi Jacobson’s book I Might Regret This. When Jacobson was in her early twenties, she took a lengthy solo road trip following a devastating heartbreak. Despite her career as a comedian, the book is surprisingly serious, tender, and neurotic, as Jacobson reflects on her life, choices, sexuality, and such hypotheticals as what would be the worst way to run into my ex? Witty and filled to the brim with insightful rambling, this stream-of-consciousness book of essays is punctuated by drawings also done by Jacobson, which add to the character of the piece. If you, like Jacobson (or like me), have a mind that can’t stop going, you’ll find a lot to like and a lot to relate to in Jacobson’s writing. In the book as in the three-week road trip it discusses, there is a lot of ground to cover and you’ll be glad you did.
Finally, for the Jewish members of our community, today is Yom Kippur, one of the High Holy Days and a major day for self-examination and atonement. In observance of these values, I present former speechwriter to Michelle Obama Sarah Hurwitz’s story of returning to her religious practice after a lifetime as a lapsed Jew. Here All Along also starts after a tough breakup, which starts Hurwitz down a path of spiritual discovery. After taking an introductory class on Judaism, she finds herself wondering about the richness and meaning in the religious traditions that are her birthright, and how she’s made it to thirty-six without appreciating them. Over years of exploration, she comes to a better understanding of her religion, and implores other modern, educated people to explore it also.
Have a good evening, and chag sameach if you’re observing the holiday. We’ll see you again soon with more library news.
